[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 72 (Friday, April 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16050-16051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-07723]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-122-862]


Certain Uncoated Groundwood Paper From Canada: Amended 
Preliminary Countervailing Duty Determination

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.


[[Page 16051]]


SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is amending the scope of 
the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of certain uncoated 
groundwood paper (UGW paper) from Canada to conform with the scope 
published in the preliminary determination of the companion antidumping 
duty (AD) investigation of UGW paper from Canada. The period of 
investigation is January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

DATES: Applicable April 13, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Medley, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4987.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Commerce published its CVD Preliminary Determination on January 16, 
2018.\1\ On March 19, 2018, Commerce published its AD Preliminary 
Determination, and amended the scope to exclude certain products, based 
upon comments received from interested parties.\2\
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    \1\ See Certain Uncoated Groundwood Paper from Canada: 
Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, and 
Alignment of Final Determination with Final Antidumping Duty 
Determination, 83 FR 2133 (January 16, 2018) (CVD Preliminary 
Determination).
    \2\ See Certain Uncoated Groundwood Paper from Canada: 
Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair 
Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of 
Provisional Measures, 83 FR 11960 (March 19, 2018) (AD Preliminary 
Determination) and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum. See 
also, Memorandum ``Certain Uncoated Groundwood Paper from Canada: 
Scope Comments Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Determination,'' dated March 12, 2018, which was placed on the 
record of both the AD and CVD investigations.
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Amended Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is UGW paper from Canada. 
We are amending the scope of the CVD investigation to conform with the 
scope of the companion AD investigation, including the exclusions of: 
(1) Certain uncoated groundwood paper which has undergone a creping 
process over the entire surface area of the paper; (2) certain uncoated 
groundwood construction paper and uncoated groundwood manila drawing 
paper in sheet or roll format; and (3) certain uncoated groundwood 
directory paper. These exclusions were first enumerated in the AD 
Preliminary Determination. For a complete description of the amended 
scope of this investigation, see Appendix I.

Suspension of Liquidation

    We have not revised the estimated cash deposit rates published in 
the CVD Preliminary Determination. In accordance with section 
703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, we will direct U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation of entries 
of subject merchandise as described in the amended scope of the 
investigation, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on 
or after the date of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register, and to continue to require a cash deposit, pursuant to 19 CFR 
351.205(d). Additionally, because certain products are now excluded 
from the scope of the investigation, Commerce will instruct CBP to 
terminate suspension of liquidation of those excluded products, and to 
refund any cash deposits previously posted with respect to them.

Notification

    In accordance with section 703(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify 
the International Trade Commission of its amended determination. This 
determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 703(f) and 
777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

    Dated: April 9, 2018.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I



Amended Scope of the Investigation

    The merchandise covered by this investigation includes certain 
paper that has not been coated on either side and with 50 percent or 
more of the cellulose fiber content consisting of groundwood pulp, 
including groundwood pulp made from recycled paper, weighing not 
more than 90 grams per square meter. Groundwood pulp includes all 
forms of pulp produced from a mechanical pulping process, such as 
thermo-mechanical process (TMP), chemi-thermo mechanical process 
(CTMP), bleached chemi-thermo mechanical process (BCTMP) or any 
other mechanical pulping process. The scope includes paper shipped 
in any form, including but not limited to both rolls and sheets.
    Certain uncoated groundwood paper includes but is not limited to 
standard newsprint, high bright newsprint, book publishing, and 
printing and writing papers. The scope includes paper that is white, 
off-white, cream, or colored.
    Specifically excluded from the scope are imports of certain 
uncoated groundwood paper printed with final content of printed text 
or graphic. Also excluded are papers that otherwise meet this 
definition, but which have undergone a supercalendering process.\3\ 
Additionally, excluded are papers that otherwise meet this 
definition, but which have undergone a creping process over the 
entire surface area of the paper.
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    \3\ Supercalendering imparts a glossy finish produced by the 
movement of the paper web through a supercalender which is a stack 
of alternating rollers of metal and cotton (or other softer 
material). The supercalender runs at high speed and applies 
pressure, heat, and friction which glazes the surface of the paper, 
imparting gloss to the surface and increasing the paper's smoothness 
and density.
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    Also excluded are uncoated groundwood construction paper and 
uncoated groundwood manila drawing paper in sheet or roll format. 
Excluded uncoated groundwood construction paper and uncoated 
groundwood manila drawing paper: (a) Have a weight greater than 61 
grams per square meter; (b) have a thickness greater than 6.1 
caliper, i.e., greater than .0061'' or 155 microns; (c) are produced 
using at least 50 percent thermomechanical pulp; and (d) have a 
shade, as measured by CIELAB, as follows: L* less than or 75.0 or b* 
greater than or equal to 25.0.
    Also excluded is uncoated groundwood directory paper that: (a) 
Has a basis weight of 34 grams per square meter or less; and (b) has 
a thickness of 2.6 caliper mils or 66 microns or less.
    Certain uncoated groundwood paper is classifiable in the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) in several 
subheadings, including 4801.00.0120, 4801.00.0140, 4802.61.1000, 
4802.61.2000, 4802.61.3110, 4802.61.3191, 4802.61.6040, 
4802.62.1000, 4802.62.2000, 4802.62.3000, 4802.62.6140, 
4802.69.1000, 4802.69.2000, and 4802.69.3000. Subject merchandise 
may also be imported under several additional subheadings including 
4805.91.5000, 4805.91.7000, and 4805.91.9000.\4\ Although the HTSUS 
subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the 
written description of the merchandise is dispositive.
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    \4\ The following HTSUS numbers are no longer active as of 
January 1, 2017: 4801.00.0020, 4801.00.0040, 4802.61.3010, 
4802.61.3091, and 4802.62.6040.

[FR Doc. 2018-07723 Filed 4-12-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P